My Second Quarter Inventory of New Items Purchased

The year is zooming by; we're already halfway through! Financially speaking, that is.
Last week I made my second quarter payment for 2012 to the IRS, which means it's time once again to take inventory of the new items I purchased during my year of nothing new (you can review my Q1 inventory here).

Hey, why were there only 2 months between Q1 and Q2?

Anyway, here's the skinny:

New items* I have purchased as of the closing of Q2 2012 are:

• TOMS shoes
• Sunglasses
• Necklace

At first glance it seems I was a bit more frivolous this quarter, even though I bought fewer things and spent less money.

TOMS in action. Kind of.

TOMS are definitely not sturdy walking shoes, but they are incredibly gentle on my little toes (meaning the pinky toes... I'm not trying to be cute here), where other shoes almost without exception rub me to the point of blisters. So I'm actually able to wear them for more than 20 minutes, which I think makes them well worth the money and the cheat. I might even buy another pair! These ones were also on clearance, so bonus.

A sunny day at DCA.

My new sunglasses are way better than the last pair; I don't know how I put up with those for so long. I'll probably still look at darker ones next time I'm at the eye doctor, but these were a legitimate and much-needed start.

My new peacock necklace.

Ok, you got me. The necklace was frivolous. Not only was it frivolous, it was from Disney. The horror! But I really liked it, and I was having a terrible day. And sometimes you just have to say, what the heck.

What do you think about that?

*Material items only; does not include expendable supplies.

A Perfect Storm of Irregular Expenses

Is it just me, or does it seem like everything you never have to buy runs out at the same time?

Well, in that case, I guess technically you don't never need to buy them.

And yes, that sentence is grammatically correct.

You know what I mean - the expendable things that you only have to buy once in a while and rarely run out of. Like sugar, shampoo, and vacuum bags. 

In the past month, I have run out of the following things:

A First Quarter Inventory of New Items Purchased

When I mailed in my 1040-ES a couple of weeks ago, it got me thinking about the first quarter of my year of nothing new, and how it really has changed the way I think about things. I am no longer interested in going to the mall, or scouring the ads to find out what is on sale. Now I have to actually plan a special trip to Target every once in a while instead of counting on a weekly visit.

But these last few months have not been without new material items, as you know.

New items* I have purchased as of the closing of Q1 2012 are:

• 5 pairs of tights
• Seam gauge
• Pin cushion and pins
• Pattern transfer wheel
• Dress pattern
• Earrings
• Strapless bra
• Assets

It all fits in one photo

That's it! Seriously.

Compare that with an abbreviated list of the used items I have acquired since the new year:

• Kenmore sewing machine, with 1 yr. warranty
• Revere Ware copper bottom skillet
• 4 books
• Leather boots
• Vintage cashmere cardigan
• 3 pairs of jeans
• 2 skirts
• Several shirts...

...and all for a fraction of the price they would have cost new!
So far I don't feel like I've really missed out on anything, but we'll see how quarters 2-4 go!

How are your resolutions going?

*Material items only; does not include expendable supplies.

Nothing New, Black Tie Edition Part 3: No, I'm not an actual failure

I told you about the dress I rented, and the other things I paid (or didn't pay) for, for my evening out at the Theas. But I left you hanging with this little teaser:

Anything look familiar? I'll give you a hint.

Nothing New, Black Tie Edition Part 2: Other Accoutrements of Fanciness

When we left off, I had just finished telling you about my dress.

But we all know a dress alone does not an outfit make. Let's start from the ground up:

Nothing New, Black Tie Edition Part 1: The Dress

I told you about my complete and utter failure mature decision to give up making myself a dress to wear to my awards dinner last Saturday, but I didn't tell you about what I was going to do instead.

Enter Rent the Runway:

What, you can't tell what that means? It's basically like a Netflix for dresses and accessories:

(click to enlarge)

Perfect for someone who, perhaps, isn't buying anything new for a year.

My First Moral Dilemma (No, not ever)

Only for this year, and only regarding my New Year’s Resolution.

Something popped up in my Facebook news feed yesterday that got me a little excited:

I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly this means.

My Nothing New Debut!

Renata and I went out for my almost-birthday brunch yesterday (thanks, Renata!!), and I realized it was my first day out this year, and possibly ever, wearing nothing that was purchased new!
Minus the underthings.

Of course I had to have her snap a picture on her phone.

Check me out:

My Year-Round Fail-Safe Gift-Buying Guide, Part 2

If you'll recall, I previously gave you my fail-proof guidelines for purchasing gifts.

As promised, here are the four items I gave as Christmas gifts this year, and why they were excellent choices:

The Practical/Sentimental

For: Carly 

What it was: Mickey Mouse bag clips

Cost: $4.46 (with Annual Pass-holder discount)

Why it was a good gift: Carly needed bag clips. As I was strolling through the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney, I stumbled upon these. Hey, Carly needs bag clips, I thought, and these have Mickey Mouse on them! And who doesn't love Mickey when he's actually being practical for once? She was excited, trust me. 

Nothing New

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2012 finds everyone healthy, happy, and prosperous.

Ok, back to my usual cynical outlook on life: Who cares? January 1^st is no different than May 1^st or July 17^th. It’s just another passing day on the calendar. The only difference is you need a new calendar in order to get to it.

Nonetheless, I do usually make some kind of resolution for the new year. One year I gave up soda. One year I gave up meat. One year I gave up chocolate, one year ice cream. I was stellar at each of these commitments, and I am not lying when I say I made it through the entire year successfully each time, and usually continued on past midnight New Year’s Eve. (I still don’t really drink soda, though I would not refuse it on a special occasion, and am anticipating a glass of ginger ale as I sit here waiting to board a flight back to LA.)

Although I did, per usual, go a bit overboard with the holiday treats this year, something else has been weighing on me lately (pun not intended).

My Year-Round Fail-Safe Gift-Buying Guide

I found this email in my inbox the other morning:

Dear Lacey,

A coworker gave me a book for Xmas. The note says, "this is one of my favorite books..." I've started reading but, as I arrive at page 10, I find no motivation to continue. I suppose I'll forge ahead for at least a chapter or two. But what does one do when given a gift full of meaning but one is unimpressed with that meaning?

Good question, friend, and one we all certainly find ourselves asking at one point or another. The short answer is to thank the person, place the book on your shelf, and forget about it.

Black Friday

Before I turned off the TV to go to bed last night around 11 PM, I caught two breaking news stories:

1. People have been lining up at Best Buy in Burbank since Wednesday morning, and they are getting excited to go inside.
2. Several people were injured at a Walmart in Los Angeles after a woman sprayed them with pepper spray when they got near the merchandise she was going after; ambulances were having a hard time getting through the parking lot because of all the traffic.

Both of these stories are fairly disconcerting to me. Whether or not you enjoy Thanksgiving, this is one of the incredibly rare holidays where virtually everyone has the day off. Why not enjoy that time off instead of stressing yourself out over a new TV?

Perhaps more to the point, why do you need a new TV in the first place?

The reality is, you probably don't. The average American household has more TVs than people. Data from a completely non-scientific study, consisting of my living in America for nearly 29 years, indicates that the average American household as more crap lying around than they know what to do with. So why this obsession with buying new things? And why do we feel that taking on debt is a viable option?

It's just not healthy!

More to come.

Saving the Earth ...kind of

Did you get your free bag at Target yesterday?

I did.